WELS and CLC

Much has been written on this subject. You can find some of those materials on this website. Type “Church of the Lutheran Confession” (including the quotation marks) in the search box to access pertinent information.

In short, pastors and congregations in the 1950s left the Wisconsin Synod because they were of the conviction that WELS was not acting in accordance with the scriptural principles articulated in Romans 16:17 in regard to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

You may or may not be aware that representatives of WELS, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) and the Church of the Lutheran Confession (CLC) have met the last three years to review what led to the formation of the CLC and to discuss how fellowship could be restored.

Representatives from all three church bodies drafted a “Joint Statement Regarding Termination of Fellowship.” Agreement on the doctrine of fellowship would be a necessary first step toward the restoration of God-pleasing fellowship relations. WELS and ELS adopted the joint statement in their respective synodical conventions. The CLC has not yet adopted the statement.